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Hellcat Squadran: Fusion
Hellcat Squadran: Fusion takes place in 2280, and depicts the events where Anastasia Renner develops the persona known as Overlord, and how the persona begins tearing her mind apart. Galiana Matveev holds the only solution to Anastasia's suffering, but, once everything is said and done, would Anastasia still be the same person? (Note: Chapters 5 and 6 happen, technically, at the same time) Chapter 1: The Bane of Archadia All across the Archadian base, multiple building exploded: valuable resources and important Military materials all up in flames. As the Archadian soldiers tried to locate their saboteur, more and more storehouses went up in vast explosions. Soon, most of the Archadians stores lay damaged or destroyed, most of the Archadian resources gone with it. The leader of the facility was also gone: having been stabbed through the heart by a blade. The owner of that blade, having completed her mission, made for the outskirts of the base, as the Archadians were in a panic. Due to that, she successfully escaped the enemy base, and managed to reach her extraction craft: the HMS Tralinjar. Waiting outside the ship were 2 of the ship's crew: one of which was also her contact for the mission. The large Bangaa asked the infiltrator, "Is the job done?" "Yes," the armored individual replied, "The Archadian Supply Depot has been destroyed. They won't be storing their weapons and munitions there anymore." "Excellent. Also, I've received a message from Earth. Vint Acadal wanted you to contact him, while on the way back." The armored individual then removed her helmet. "Alright then," Anastasia said, the last traces of red leaving her eyes, turning them back to their normal brown, "I'll call him as soon as we're off." ---- Anastasia looked around her quarters onboard the Tralinjar. It was a rather spacious room, with several items from home, and an extensive communications terminal, mostly to allow Anastasia to keep contact with her family, while she was out on missions. After taking a short rest, she walked over to the communications terminal, and keyed in her personal computer at home. A moment later, Vint appeared on screen. "Hey, there, how's my favorite Judge?" Vint asked, affectionately. Anastasia giggled a little. "I'm doing fine. Just trashed a supply depot, on my way home now." "Good work sticking it to the Archadians," Vint said in a congradulatory tone, "What's the ETA?" "Not long: Should be no more than a few hours. I'll be home soon." "Good to hear. See ya then." With that, Vint cut transmission. Anastasia moved over and plopped down in her chair. Suddenly, a new set of thoughts came into her mind...an overwhelming, dominating urge...but she shrugged it away. However, it made her nervous: pangs of regret, and moments of crazed hysteria were how the Dark Mage and Agent Kaven personas developed...was she developing a new persona? If so... Trista's warning from 3 years prior was now fresh in her mind. If too many of those form...you'll probably become incapable of doing anything: you'll have too many mind fragments bumping into each other to even function. Anastasia was hoping this event wouldn't happen too soon... ...If it did... Chapter 2: The Overlord The Tralinjar landed at the hangar in Kaven Base, where Vint was waiting for her. Anastasia exited the ship, and landed in Vint's embrace. "Good to see you made it," he said, hugging her tightly. "I'm alright, I'm alright..." Anastasia replied, before saying, "Can you loosen up: I can't breath." Vint immediately let go, and allowed Anastasia to catch her breath. "So...What should we do tonight?" Vint asked. "I don't know...was thinking to just stay home for a day or so, and maybe visit with the Vardans tomorrow," Anastasia replied. The Vardan siblings were friends with Anastasia and Vint, Vint being good friends with the older brother Avedis, and the younger sister Siran being part of Anastasia's circle of friends. "Sounds like a plan, I guess," Vint said. Anastasia smiled: she'd been living with Vint for the past 3 years, mostly to have her income with the Dalmascan Military suppliment the meager income Vint was able to make for himself and Arin. And, she'd enjoyed every minute of living there. She and Vint, already close when she moved in, had grown even closer, to the point where Anastasia's sister Sasha was surprised that the 2 hadn't bedded yet. Of course, one of the reasons the 2 got along so well was their mutual agreement and desire to save such actions until they're married, which, due to their closeness, everyone knows is a very likely possibility. As the duo walked towards the Acadal household, another dominating wave fell over Anastasia, causing her to pause in her tracks. Vint stopped a few feet ahead, when he realized Anastasia stopped. "Hey, Ana, you alright?" Anastasia's eyes flashed steel for a few moments, before returning to their usual brown. "...Yeah...Yeah, I'm alright..." Anastasia shook her head clear, and resumed walking to Vint's place. Vint paused for a few moments, worried about Anastasia. He too remembered Trista's warning from 3 years back about Anastasia getting more and more personas, and not only that, he shared the worries of Anastasia's best friend. ---- It was late at night, and Anastasia was trying to get to sleep. However, something in the back of her mind kept her awake, bothering her. She felt it had to do with that possible new persona of hers, but she wasn't sure what it was or how it was created. Unable to sleep, she got up, and paced for a bit. Eventually, though, the dominating urge fell over her again. In the mirror in her room, she saw her eyes had turned steel. For some reason, she then felt the need to control everything. However, she worked to fight this urge down. It wasn't easy though: it took everything she had to get herself under control again. However, she heard a voice in her mind, called itself the "Overlord"... Anastasia realized this was the new persona forming...and this one, she realized, was bad news... ---- Anastasia told Vint about the incident from the previous night, and he immediately showed he was concerned. "Alright. You stay home today...maybe get some rest...We're gonna have to go to someone about this, Ana...It's obvious this persona's not just gonna sit back like your others. We're gonna have to do something about it..." Anastasia nodded in response. "Alright...I'm just...this is beginning to scare me a little, Vint...what if..." Anastasia didn't have to finish. "I'm worried too...I'll go check on the Vardans, then I'm gonna find someone...Galiana, Adriana, ANYONE who can probably help with this. Just wait here, alright?" Anastasia nodded in response, again. "Good...I shouldn't be more than an hour..." Chapter 3: Fragmentation Vint quickly made his way to the Cataract, and, when he got there, he told the Vardans, as well as Lyle Kendrick, about what was going on with Anastasia. The trio were shocked, and a little worried. Anastasia had tried to help them in the past, and was part of the reason that a serious condition Siran once had was now nothing more than a bad memory. "Is there anything we could do to help?" Avedis asked. Vint shook his head. "I don't think so...after I'm done here, I'm gonna go find someone like Galiana, Adriana, or some other Psionicist...One with many years of experience..." The last part, he stressed, as he saw Lyle tried to speak up. Lyle was a psionicist, and he was good at it...just his specialties lay more in psychokinesis...and he wasn't as experienced as what he needed anyways. As the group talked about this, however, Trista then burst into the room. Avedis was the first to speak up. "Trista, what it?" Trista wasted no time responding. "It's Anastasia! She's having some kind of mental breakdown." Everyone immediately got up. Vint's fears have materialized, much faster than originally thought. "Arin's trying to calm her down, but nothing's working!" Vint started making for the exit. "Trista, go find Galiana. We're going to be needing her help." Vint then left, with the Vardans and Lyle following. Avedis stopped and looked at Trista, both sharing the same worried expression for their friend. ---- Anastasia was whimpering, crying, while Arin tried to snap her out of it, by the time Vint, Lyle, and the Vardans got there. Unfortunately, even when Vint tried to help, it was to no avail. Just then, Sasha entered the room. "What the fuck is going on?" she asked Arin. Arin just wordlessly gestured towards Anastasia, who appeared to be suffering from a major headache...or worse..."DO I want to know?" "Get back!" Anastasia cried out, clutching her head. Then, her eyes began to glow red, and a snarling, aggressive voice said, "We've all fought as one, all this time..." Then, her eyes turned navy blue, and a voice that sounded weighted with regret spoke, "...But we've grown too vast...cannot be contained..." Then, her eyes became orange, and a voice with a massive amount of insanity spoke, "...And now our mind falls into chaos..." Then, her eyes turned steel in color, and the voice of a warlord spoke, "...A chaos that will dominate us..." Finally, Anastasia's eyes returned to their normal brown. Realizing what was going on, she began to cry, and, fearfully, pleaded "Help me..." Sasha responded by knocking Anastasia out, prompting Vint and Arin to pick up Anastasia to take her to the Med Labs. Siran just stood there, trembling, while Lyle tried to console her. Avedis just looked between Siran, Anastasia, and Sasha, before going to follow Vint and Arin, prompting Lyle and Siran to follow as well. Chapter 4: Galiana's Gambit The group waited, watching Anastasia in the med labs. She was still unconscious, Sasha having hit her hard on the head. Her parents and friends were all there, watching worriedly. Quel and Meditron were also overlooking her, and their diagnosis was not good. "Well, Trista, from what you said, it finally happened: those split perosnalities Anastasia developed have now started vying for control, leaving her incapable of action," Quel said. Meditron then stated, "We have no means of allowing her to take control of her mind. Without a means of doing that..." He then just shrugged, uncertainly. Just then, the sound of the door whooshing open sounded. Everyone looked that way, and, stoicly, Galiana Matveev, with Ohtacar, strode into the room. Silently, she walked past the others, looking over Anastasia's prone form. After looking Anastasia over, Galiana nodded, and said, "So, that's how it's gotta be." Then, Galiana began concentrating. No one had any idea what she was doing...except... "Galiana, what're you doing?" Elle asked, sensing, through the Force, Galiana psionically linking with Anastasia. Then, Galiana seemed to do who knows what, until, finally, Galiana staggered backwards, away from Anastasia and into a chair. Even more unsettling, Anastasia fell still. She still breathed, but became totally unresponsive. "What the-What happened?!" Vint angrilly asked. Galiana cryptically replied, "I offered Anastasia a path to awaking...She may be out a long while...but if she can prevail, she will not have to deal with her split personas again..." Galiana sounded exhausted, meaning that whatever she did took a lot of energy...and for her, that's saying something. She also seemed distracted, and those with some kind of connection to the Force, or some form of Psionic Ability, would know that Galiana was still communicating mentally with Anastasia's mind. Vint just turned back to Anastasia, and moved over to sit by her bed. "What's going on in your head?" he asked himself. ---- Anastasia could tell she was unconscious, and in her mind. What she didn't know was how she knew, or why she was like this. However, a voice got her attention, a very familiar voice. Anastasia couldn't hear what it was saying, but she still recognized it. "Galiana? Is that you? What're you doing in my head?" Finally, an apparition of Galiana appeared. "I'm trying to help you...I know about what's happening here, and I think I may have a solution." "Solution?" "Yes...I believe that if you can somehow merge these personas into one, it may stabilize your mind, and reintegrate those aspects of your personality into one. However...I couldn't do it myself...there would not have been a guarantee you'd be in control: not even a guarantee you'd still be there when done. This is the only way I could think to do it, and have you survive." "What way?" "I've managed to isolate each of the personas...however, I couldn't weaken them to the point you'd be able to just integrate with them...you'll have to defeat them in various ways to get them to integrate with you...My power is waning, I must leave soon..." "What do I have to do to weaken them?" Anastasia asked desparately. Galiana replied, "Your first 3 personas...Judge Althaea, The Dark Mage, and even Agent Kaven might be able to be talked down...this new persona...this 'Overlord'...it wouldn't be so easily sated...you'll probably have to actually combat it before it'll fall...I'd suggest going after it last...I must leave...good luck, Anastasia...and until we meet again, farewell..." With that, Galiana's apparition disappeared. Chapter 5: Endless Chaos 3 months later The last 3 months have been uneventful. Anastasia remained in her coma, and Vint, ever loyal, stayed by her side. Eventually, he allowed Arin, who was beginning to get nervous about living at home by herself, to stay with the Vardans for a while. The Vardans, however, have been hard at work: Avedis suspected Nod to keep acting against himself and his sister. These fears were not unfounded: over the past 4 years since they'd come to Kaven Base, Nod's been sending many things, from infiltration teams to supersoldiers, to try to eliminate them. And, with Anastasia incapacitated, Avedis felt more reluctant to let his sister out of his sight, most of the time only agreeing if Lyle (who'd previously defeated one of the supersoldiers that tried to kill Siran) was going along. Today, however, Avedis relented in letting Siran head out on her own. The previous day, she'd gotten in an argument with someone, and was still fuming about it a day later, so she felt the need to go for a drive in her Attack Bike. After a half hour of debating the matter, Avedis finally gave her the go-ahead. And, after she disconnected the ammo feeders from the Missile Launchers, she left. For the next hour, Avedis couldn't keep from debating the wisdom of his decision. To keep his mind off of it, he helped Arin repair her damaged Orca A-25. It'd been given to her as a training craft, when she showed expressed interest at becoming a gunship pilot. However, her training doesn't always finish unscathed, so she's constantly repairing her craft. A half hour into that, however, it returned to his mind again, distracting him so much that he almost closed a panel of the Orca on his hand. Fortunately, Arin noticed and pulled his hand away. "Watch it!" she said, "Don't want fingers in my engine." "Sorry," Avedis groaned, "Just still don't feel comfortable with letting Siran out like that." Arin sighed, and got back to work on her gunship. As the group continued working, however, Lyle charged into the room. "What is it?" Arin asked, knowing the repair job was probably gonna be delayed. "It's the Alliance of Unrelenting Darkness! They're back! They're attacking I-15!" "I-15?!" Avedis asked, shocked, "But that's where..." "Dammit..." Arin said, as Lyle and Avedis left, realizing who was in danger. She looked back at her damaged Gunship, as one of the engine pods fell off. "Double dammit..." ---- However, Siran already knew the AoUD forces were coming: she was already being chased by the Covenant Loyalist Gunships. As she weaved through traffic, the Phantom Gunboats overhead rained plasma towards her. Siran, frightened, tried to keep from being hit, while also trying to figure out how to escape her pursuers. However, before a means could be thought up, the Gunships lowered closer to the ground, releasing Nod Attack Bikes, which took up the chase, as the Gunships pulled out. While her vehicle was also an Attack Bike, its launchers were smaller, and had no ammo loaded. While this means she couldn't fight back, she was faster and more maneuverable than them. Unfortunately, the Nod Bikes were heavily armed, and their missiles were capable of tracking: despite her evasive maneuvers, the Nod Missiles eventually reached her bike and blew it clean off the bridge. Fortunately, with years under her belt driving the thing, Siran quickly regained control of the tumbling Attack Bike, and managed to land wheel first. She then dove off into a nearby forest, Nod Attack Bikes pursuing. Continuing to use her superior maneuverability to her advantage, Siran weaved through the trees while the larger, less maneuverable Nod Attack Bikes had to avoid swiping trees with their launchers, or risk them getting sheered off. As Siran dodged through the trees, avoiding missiles, she couldn't help but feel something was off. She veered in one direction, but was forced by a cluster of missiles to veer the other direction. She headed further in the new direction, but was forced to resume the intial course by another cluster. Then, she realized... ...She was being herded into an ambush. She looked around, trying to determine where the ambush was. Unable to spot it for a few minutes, she finally sighted the clearing, and the light glint of metal within the trees surrounding it. She tried veering away, but Nod Missiles forced her to continue the route to the clearing. She tried to think of a means to avoid the ambush, and get away. However, she soon came across a fallen tree. Maybe, if she were to veer under it, she might be able to break off, before the Attack Bikes' missiles could hit her. Taking the chance, she veered towards the trunk, and, as she hoped, the missiles merely impacted the trunk as she passed under it. Escaping before the splinters could strike her, Siran took the long way around the clearing, a group of Nod Raider Buggies appearing from the clearing as she passed. Soon, she had a huge group of Nod Attack Bikes and Raider Buggies behind her. However, Siran was far enough ahead to be able to think of how to get out of this mess. Soon, however, she reached a desert, and, due to the Raider Buggies' proficiency in that environment, Siran lost her lead on the Nod Forces. As Siran pushed her Attack Bike to the limit, to desparately try and widen the gap between her and the Raider Buggies, to no avail. However, as she attempted to climb a dune, another buggy engine roared. At first, she thought it was more Nod vehicles, but when the vehicle crested the dune... "Avedis," Siran whispered to herself in relief, as her brother's Raider Buggy jumped the dune, landing behind her, spraying the Nod vehicles with bullets and lasers. Avedis then u-turned, following his sister over the dune. Siran watched for any Nod units trying to go around them...but once over the dune, all Siran saw was the charred remains of a failed ambush, her boyfriend's tank right in the middle. As the Nod Raider Buggies came over the dune, Lyle's Hyperflux Plasma Cannon vaporized them, soon forcing the Nod Forces to retreat. The trio exited their vehicles, Avedis quickly coming over to his sister. "Siran, you alright? I came here as soon as I..." then, Avedis's expression became a combination of worried and horrified. "Siran..." He then reached somewhere on her face. Siran felt there as well, and felt the warm, wet feeling of blood. She realized that must have happened when she was blasted off the bridge, she just didn't notice it until now. "I'm...alright...that considered..." Siran replied, nervously. "Don't worry," Lyle said, "We can get the doc to patch that up once we get back, now come on, before they-" Before he could finish, the Gunships that carried the Nod Vehicles in initially returned, plasma spraying at the group. Avedis dashed for his Buggy, and, as he turned it on, called to Siran, "Get your Ammo Racks plugged back in! I'll cover for you!" "Me too!" Lyle commented, as he loaded back up in his tank. The 2 then spread out, openning fire on the Covenant Gunships, drawing them away from Siran. Running back to her Attack Bike, Siran worked fact to re-connect her Ammo Racks to her missiles, knowing each second she wasted could actually cause the death of her brother or boyfriend. Eventually, she heard the telltale *clink* of the Ammo Rack connecting. Looking around, Siran noticed that she still had some time: her boyfriend's Tank was charging up a dune at one of the Gunships, Hyperflux Plasma Cannon spewing Plasma bolts every other second. Meanwhile, her brother weaved through the desert dodging the other gunship's plasma. Siran, wasting no time, mounted her cycle and activated the weapons system. Soon, she locked onto one of the gunships and openned fire. Quad Missiles spiraled towards the target, smashing into it, and exploding, bringing down the Phantom like a great beast of the sky. The other Phantom seemed to ascend, flying towards the sky. However, before anyone could react, a Nod Corvette decloaked above them. From a single look, they knew that it was the kind of Stealth Corvette they use to sneak by Earth's defenses. And, a look at Lyle told Siran that he sensed a certain someone onboard...someone who would have the gall to just blast them from orbit then and there... ...And that's when the trio gained a new-found respect for the Romulans: 3 Griffin class Cruisers decloaked, surrounding the corvette, before it could fire. Facing this threat, the Corvette cloaked, ascending to space. Soon, the Griffins followed the corvette, also cloaking, and, soon, they were gone... ---- As Quel treated Siran's gash, Avedis paced back and forth, angrily, ranting about how Nod had the audacity to attempt this infiltration and how he thought Nod had stopped already. Finally, Lyle just yelled out, "Will you please shut up?!" Once Avedis quieted, and before he could start up with him, Lyle immediately began, "I'm as pissed about this as you are, but ranting about it doesn't explain why this happened!" Avedis nodded in agreement, simmering down. However, at that moment, Galiana entered, stating, "It's because of Anastasia's condition..." "What's that got to do with anything?" Avedis asked, "Yes, she and Siran are friends, but what's that got to do with Nod?" "Nod, and the Alliance of Unrelenting Darkness as a whole, fears her, and when she was awake, only Behemoth has the guts to try and take on Siran with Anastasia around, only due to having beaten her. However, with Anastasia out of the picture..." "Nod's using it as their chance to clean up the mess they think Siran is..." Lyle said, looking at her worriedly. Siran looked back, the fear evident on her face, before turning to Anastasia, still in a coma on the nearby bed. "Why are you still out? Why won't you wake up?" she asked, anguish and terror dripping from every word. Chapter 6: Inside Yourself Anastasia walked forward, through the large white expanse that was apparently her mind. As she progressed, however, blotches of red appeared. At first, she thought it was blood, but soon realized that they must just be remains left behind by her aspect of Aggression. Soon enough, several red Archadian soldiers charged at a large, red-plated Judge Magister, who eliminated the others. As soon as the fighting died down, Anastasia slowly approached. The aspect of aggression seemed to notice the newcomer. "Who are you?" Althaea asked, before getting a good look. "Wait...you look just like me..." "Uhm...of course...this is my mind, after all..." "Our mind..." "You're one aspect of me: I'm pretty much the rest..." "And yet, we both have control..." "Which caused this to happen...my body immobile, and us debating the situation here..." Anastasia stared at her armored counterpart for a moment, before finally asking, "Why did you come into creation? Why are you even here?" "I was created from your pent-up rage: your anger over your family's division. And, even after that was over, your anger over the Archadians hunting you sustained me. I exist from your anger; I am your aggression." "But if you're sustained by my anger, what am I angry about?" "That Behemoth character that defeated you 3 years ago; him threatening Siran; the fact that Siran can't handle this problem herself." Anastasia was unaware of how she felt angry about that stuff...but now that she thought about it...No! She couldn't let this...figment of her mind...twist her like this...she had to talk it down, outsmart it, before this came to blows. Just then, she realized, "Why is it that you exist?" "I exist as a manifestation of your aggression," Althaea responded. "And how did you come into being?" "Through your anger at your family's division, and sustained by your rage afterwards." "However, there was time I wasn't angry between the Archadians trying to ruin my life and the division issue was resolved...if what you say was true, then you should have ceased to exist. Now, I ask again: why are you here?!" Althaea...didn't know. The logic of Anastasia's revelation caught her offguard. "I am uncertain." Anastasia then reached out with her hand, and asked, "So why are we fighting?" Althaea slowly reached out, uncertain, before finally thrusting her hand forward, and firmly grasping Anastasia's. Then, in a swirl of energy, Althaea disappeared, the energy whirlling until it fused with Anastasia. She then felt more confident, and a voice reverberated through her mind. "Let my confidence be yours. Let my anger give you strength." ---- Anastasia entered another room, this time, with lines of purple/indigo, that made the room look like brick. Before she even reached the aspect, she heard, "Who enters this domain?" Anastasia then saw it: the Dark Mage, a massive but feminine armored form, plated is massive plate mail, and a cape fluttering behind. The figure floated above the ground, as it turned to Anastasia, and approached. Anastasia, the courage given by Althaea fueling her, stood her ground. "I see you have new courage," the being said. "I do...I have Althaea to thank for that," Anastasia said. "So, the lamb has tamed the lion...If only you'd done it sooner, this wouldn't have happened," Dark Mage said, turning away, and facing a broken landscape. Anastasia walked up beside her. "What is it?" "Your mind...as seen through my eyes. I foresaw this and did nothing. Now I must live with the regret of letting it happen." Anastasia felt for the Dark Mage: she too had a choice, but chose to let this happen. However, she would not give into despair. She would remain firm...maybe she could bring the Dark Mage to her side. "How were you created?" "Both I and Kaven were made by your grief at being trapped, and unable to do nothing at Blood Gulch. I came from the sadness and despair you felt; Kaven from the rabid craze of suppressed battlelust." "But why are you still here?" Anastasia asked, "I stopped being sad when I returned." The Dark Mage looked to her. "Not entirely: when Siran was defeated, you felt anger at it, yes, but also despair at finding a foe that could destroy you, and didn't even care about you..." The Dark Mage looked over the landscape. "...He planned to destroy your friends. And there was nothing you could do to stop him. That is the ultimate despair: the helplessness of being unable to help a friend in need." "You're right..." The Dark Mage looked at Anastasia, startled at the acknowledgement. "I can't stop Behemoth...I can't protect Siran from him..." The Dark Mage knew Anastasia's mission, and had hoped she'd succeed...and now it looked like because of it, Anastasia failed. Another fault of the Dark Mage. As the Dark Mage sank into despair, however, Anastasia's voice cut through, "...But...I cannot let it stop me...Even if I must give my life a thousand times over to protect Siran...I will. She's my friend, I must ensure her safety, and that of my other friends...to my dying breath." The Dark Mage's color rippled, and it looked out again at the landscape, this time, seeing it rebuild, color returning to it. Even the room around them rebuilt into a massive temple. In a voice that showed a change of perspective, the Dark Mage said, "Even to our dying breath..." The duo reached out, and grasped each other's hands, and the Dark Mage let go of its form, letting it be absorbed. But then, it said some last words... "However...never forget caution...Regret can be avoided, if you be careful and never make the mistake in the first place..." ---- Thanks to the aid of the Dark Mage's and Althaea's attributes, Kaven was rather simple to calm: a being of instinct and insanity, the creature was easily manipulated into joining them. Kaven became an undeniable source of determination and ingenuity: the unpredictability of Kaven's insanity allowed Anastasia some unpredictability, which she realized would make her much more difficult to counter. Soon, Anastasia met a room made of steel...and on a throne was a large being clad in Daedric Armor. The being stood, and said, "Approach..." Anastasia felt the odd compulsion to obey, but with every ounce of her resolve, she resisted. "This is my body, who are you to command ME?!" "I am your desire for order, the darkest sections of your mind which desire control over everything...I AM you...your desire to conquer everything..." "You are no creation of my mind-" "Oh, but I am...your life never in control, enemies able to take you down...you just want them under your control, to be able to command their life or death as God does...But your mind is too weak for that power-" "And you aren't? If you're just some figment of my mind, then you can't be anymore powerful then-" The aspect of domination took out her sword and pointed it at Anastasia's neck. "You do not DARE speak to me like that!" The aspect took out its battle axe. "I am the Overlord, and you will learn your place..." "Oh, I will alright: ABOVE YOU!" Anastasia then summoned the Dual Starblade, and blocked the Axe Blow, before countering with a sword strike. The Overlord blocked, and attempted to sweep Anastasia's blade aside. Anastasia split the weapon, preventing the ploy, and striking herself. As blow after blow clanged and was blocked, Anastasia felt the monotony of the battle, realized that it was just a stalemate, no one side more powerful than the other...no...she could not give in...this...figment of her mind was not more powerful than her...if only she could just... Then, it came to her...it was her, therefore, it'd do what she'd do...but the aspect of Agent Kaven made her realize: It was advantageous to do the unexpected...The next time Overlord swung...Anastasia made no attempts to block. The Axe lodged in her shoulderblade, and Overlord stood shocked that Anastasia let it do it..."Is she giving up" it thought...before Anastasia, in an unexpected twist, wrenched the Axe from Overlord's hand, pulled it out of her shoulder, and swept it under Overlord's feet. Overlord didn't try to stop it: it was too shocked. It was knocked to the floor, and before it could react, Anastasia had it pinned, sword to its neck. "You cheated..." it said. "No, I just acted as you didn't predict..." The Overlord stared at her for a moment, before the Axe disolved from Anastasia's hand, and Overlord said, "I concede..." Anastasia hesitently let the aspect up, and soon saw evidence that it was not a bad idea. The Overlord stood there, despairingly. "How...How could I lose? Am I...not meant to rule?" "Maybe you are..." Anastasia said, "But you're doing it wrong. Maybe you're not meant to dominate life...but maybe to preserve it..." "How can one rule and not dominate life?" Anastasia extended a hand. "Join me, and we could dominate evil, and subvert it to our couse, to justice...how's that sound?" she asked with a smirk. Overlord thought for a moment, before removing its helmet, revealing a steel-colored version of Anastasia's own face, and accepting the handshake. "Yes...I'd like that..." Then, as like before, Overlord disolved, turning to energy and merging with Anastasia. It's final words brought comfort to Anastasia that she had succeeded in turning it. "Let my dominating force be the resolve that comes to you in your darkest hour. May the power of the Overlord reinforce you to the bitter end..." ---- It took Anastasia some time to cope, to take in the new additions to her personality. Each aspect supplied something new: Altahea added increased self-confidence, Dark Mage added new-found caution, Kaven added a sense of increased ingenuity, and the Overlord added newfound resolve and self-control. Finally, she was able to come to terms with the changes: she entered there her usual shy but somewhat determined self. What came out was an individual who'd faced trial after another, and learned from each trial. She soon returned to the empty room she started in...only it wasn't so empty anymore...it was now filled with color, looking like a city rebuilding. She soon realized that she was in the landscape she and the Dark Mage originally found themselves looking at. "So...it is done..." It was the apparition made by Galiana. "Yes, it is. The aspects are now part of me...this is what you planned, isn't it?" "Indeed. I had hoped your mind could potentially be made whole again...and it seems my hopes have been realized. I am grateful for your recovery...although you seem to not be the same individual I once knew." "I'm still her," Anastasia assured her, "Just a little...different, I guess." "It seems so...Your body will awake anytime now, so I must depart...good luck, Anastasia...and good to have you back..." Then, the surroundings turned white again, and began to glow intensely. It became blinding for Anastasia, until everything turned dark... ...And she realized she was back in her own body again...Time to wake up... Chapter 7: Awaken It's been six months since Anastasia was put into her coma by Galiana, and, as ever, Vint's been waiting by her side for her to wake up. Already, some people have begun doubting Anastasia would ever wake up. However, Vint was determined to continue thinking they were wrong: she would wake up...it just would take time. And Vint was willing to wait that amount of time...even if it took many years. However, after this long time, it looked like Vint's waiting was finally going to pay off, because, during the demons' assault outside the base, he saw Anastasia start to stir. Immediately, he went to her side, and was waiting there for her when she awoke. "Vint..." came the first word from Anastasia's mouth. Something sounded different about her voice, though...Vint just couldn't pin it down. "Anastasia...You're awake..." Vint said with relief, "I knew you'd wake up...You've been out for six months..." "Six months?" Anastasia asked weakly, sitting up. Still, something about her sounded different, but Vint just couldn't figure out what. "So...are you alright?" Vint asked. Anastasia responded, "Better than I've felt in a while...My mind's finally clear, for once...I can finally think clearly..." "What about those personas of yours? What happened to them?" Vint asked. Anastasia answered, "From what I could tell, Galiana had done something to merge them with my own mind...Since then, I've felt...different, somehow..." Vint then realized what it must have been: Anastasia must be taking on various aspects of her former personas. He realized now that the difference he heard in her voice was actually a sense of confidence he didn't think he ever heard in her voice before: likely a result of this merger. "So, where are the others?" Anastasia asked. Vint immediately remembered the battle being fought several miles away. "There's an attack going on: that demon...Maledict, or whatever he's called, is attacking. The others are out there trying to stop him. If Vint was expecting Anastasia's normal fearful or shocked reaction, he was in for a big surprise: rather, she started to think, and then, her eyes narrowed. "I need a weapon..." "What?!" Vint asked incredulously. Anastasia adamantly replied, in a tone Vint never heard her use before, "I'm not just going to wait here, while they get themselves killed." She got up out of the bed, hiding any form of difficulty she could have possibly had. "Anastasia, you should get some rest: the others can handle this-" Vint started, but Anastasia cut him off. "I won't stand idly by while my friends risk their lives out there...You've known me for this long, Vint, and no matter how scared I was before, when have I ever backed down from a fight that was not needless?" Anastasia harshly asked. Vint was taken aback by Anastasia's tone. She was indeed different now, but...her motives, her ideals...they seemed to remain the same: her outward actions have changed, she was more assertive now, more commanding...but Vint could see that, to his comfort, Anastasia appeared to, overall, still be the same girl he fell for so many years ago. Reluctantly, but with some joy that Anastasia was still herself, Vint backed down. Anastasia nodded to him, and said, "You better get ready: they'll probably be needing us both." Anastasia then left the med labs, first walking, then running, out of the room. ---- The battle outside wasn't going well. The outer defenses of the base were holding, but the soldiers trying to defend the base were being torn to shreads. Fighters flew through the skies, trying to destroy the ground-bound demons, but were forced to evade as Cacodemons chased after them. On the ground, the soldiers kept up firing machine guns and other weapons as the Imps and Vulgars charged their positions. Guardians of Justice Paladins and Jedi from the Jedi Order fought the larger Hell Knights and Bruisers, as they tried to charge the soldiers' positions, but they were barely keeping up the fight. Among the ground combatants were some of Anastasia's friends and family, remembering how Anastasia was, as far as they knew, still defenseless and comatose inside. If the demons made it there...they'd accomplish what the Archadians failed to do years ago. Siran, Lyle, Avedis, and Trista were at one of the rear-most checkpoints, which was being seiged by Revenants and Wraiths. Siran was able to create electrical fields to block the Revenants' missiles, while Lyle and Avedis killed them, with Trista dealing with the Wraiths. Elle and Sean were at another checkpoint, which was being attacked by Maggots and an Arch-Vile. Elle was using her Force and Aura Powers to combat the Arch-Vile, while Sean's Crossbow, using modified Holy-enchanted Bolts, was dealing with the Maggots. On another part of the field, Holly was working with several battle drones to fight a group of Pinky Demons, as the large, cybernetic canine demons tried to rush the weak points of the defense. The different groups all kept up the defense, but the demons, led by a Cyberdemon and 2 Guardians, were unleashing heavy pressure on the Hellcat Squadran defenders, who were forced to retreat to Kaven Base for a last stand. However, as the demons gathered at the base entrence, and the defenders neared the entrance themselves, suddenly, lances of bluish light shot from the gate, each one forming a microexplosion where it impacted. Everyone looked to the gate, and when the smoke cleared... "Alright...who's ready for a REAL fight?" Anastasia asked, fully equipped with everything in her arsenal. Chapter 8: Will to Survive Fully awake, well rested, and ready for a full-on battle, Anastasia stood battle-ready at Kaven Base's gate, equipped with her Judge Armor. However, not only did she have her Dual Starblade, but she also had included a Daedric battle axe to her arsenal. The demons immediately took notice of the newcomer, recognizing her as the one to have given Archadia so many problems. Several Imps and Vulgars charged Anastasia, in order to take her down. However, swiftly, and with a seeming look of serenity, she swung her battle axe in front of her, as they reached her. The Axe, having been taken from a cache of Holy-Enchanted Nirnian Weapons, cleaved through the minor demons easily. She then charged forward herself, at a cluster of Maggots attacking her parents, and cut them down. "What the fuck?" Sean replied, shocked. "Hey, glad to see you two're still here," Anastasia said. Her tone sounded different, not like her old shy, insecure self. "What the fuck?" Sean repeated. "How are you...you're...what happened?" Elle asked, not understanding what was going on. "I think now's not the best time to explain this, so I think we should get back to killing these things before they get into the base," Anastasia replied, her tone serious. Sean then said, "God almighty she sounds like Sasha." Another trio of Maggots lunged at the group, but Anastasia blasted them backwards with a Holy Magick, while she picked up her battle axe and cleaved another one that tried to flank them. "Where're the others? Have you seen them?" "Sorry, was kinda busy watching your mother." Elle then responded, after slashing a Vulgar in half, "They're up ahead. Some Hell Knights were attacking some wounded soldiers and they're trying to hold the line!" Anastasia nodded, and, latching the Axe to her back and taking out the Dual Starblade, she mowed her way through more of the demons. "Come back conscious, please!" Sean yelled as Anastasia disappeared from sight. Anastasia continued through the battle, fighting Imps, Vulgars, Maggots, and the occasional Wraith along the way. By the edge of the Dual Starblade, or thanks to the battle axe, she defeated them. Soon, she came to the position of the Vardans, Lyle, and Trista, who were being over run by 3 groups of Hell Knights. Anastasia charged up a Holyja attack, however, something in the back of her mind possessed her to channel Aura Energy into the attack. The resulting attack was explosive: a couple of Hell Knights were propelled backwards by the sheer force of the attack...the energies of the Holy Magicks in the attack finished them. The remaining Hell Knights noticed this new threat, while the quartet of defenders noticed their friend. "Hope I made it in time," Anastasia said, as a Hell Knight charged, only to face Anastasia's battle axe. "You made it!" Lyle said, astounded. "How are you awake?!" Siran asked. "Long story, we'll have time for it later-" she swung the axe into another Hell Knight's skull, killing it and causing it to disintegrate, returning it to Hell, "-when we're done here!" Anastasia continued to battle the demons. Not all the fights were one-sided in her favor, but overall, she was definitely proving to be a major threat to the invasion. So much so, that soon, the 2 Guardians had come after her, the massive saurian demons lumbering across the field towards her. Anastasia, however, was not ready to surrender: in fact, she let off a Quickening Chain, feeling that even if she only takes down one, that's one less the others have to take care of. She performed the whole chain, and when she finished, she readied for the wave of exhaustion...which never came. The Guardian lay dead by Anastasia's onslaught, as its companion readied to counterattack, and Anastasia's Quickening Chain, while it drained her Mist Energy, DIDN'T drain her own energy. She smirked: something must have been holding her back before, but things were different now. The next Guardian released Seekers, allowing it to hunt Anastasia. Anastasia looked on the ground and saw an automatic pistol on a soldier's corpse, with ammo clips. Picking up the pistol and moving the Dual Starblade to her off hand, she opened fire on the Seekers. Pistols and other firearms weren't a big strongpoint for her, but it was an automatic pistol, so accuracy didn't matter as much. Mix in the fact that she also had Agent Kaven's experience with weapons, and she took down the Seekers, forcing the Guardian to generate more, exposing its weakpoint. Anastasia unloaded the pistol into that weakpoint, until the clip was empty. Before she could reload, the Guardian had deployed more Seekers, and was on the hunt again. Anastasia, moving to avoid the Seekers' 'search lights', quickly reloaded the pistol before firing on the Seekers again. Once they were down, the Guardian revealed its weakpoint again. This time, Anastasia's assault was all that was needed to finish the Guardian off. Now, before Anastasia was 2 broken beasts, slowly disolving as their bodies and minds returned to Hell. Anastasia smiled proudly at her accomplishment. "2 more demons not threatening anyone again," she thought to herself...causing her to almost miss the titanic foot coming her way. She dodged, just as the Cyberdemon took notice of her, and came to finish her off itself. Chapter 9: Reach for the Stars Anastasia faced the massive mass of mechanation and demonic essense before her: the most powerful of the Maledict's minions stood before her, ready to pound her into dust. However, she knew she had to at least try to fight it...even if she were eliminated, the others could probably carry on the fight, and finish it. The creature readied to fire a lightning beam from its mouth, and Anastasia readied for impact. The demon unleashed the lighting beam...and a barrier appeared in front of Anastasia. When the light faded, she saw a slightly weakened, but still able Siran kneeling. She looked back at Anastasia and gave her a thumbs up. Anastasia returned the gesture. Suddenly, several energy bursts sounded. Anastasia watched as, on a nearby ledge, Trista fired burst after burst from her gunblade, and then, turning the weapon into a blade, leapt at the demon, digging her blade into the creature's torso, using it to slow her descent. Soon, she reached the ground, backflipping away from a stomping foot. The massive demon, seeing the group forming, prepared a new lightning beam, but was stopped when Avedis's tank arrived, and, using its laser turret, challenged the high-powered lightning. As Avedis seiged the thing from below, Lyle, in his original robo-mech, assaulted from above, darting in and out like a mosquito, striking the beast from several directions. Finally, the beast was struck by 2 sets of Holy Magicks, as both Acadals entered the battlezone. Vint came to Anastasia and asked, "How are you holding up?" "Quite well. Better, now that you're here." Anastasia looked around, while the group tried to figure out what to do. She noticed several things: a broken power cable, the scar in the Cyberdemon's chestplate made by Trista's Protosteel Gunblade, and 2 nobs on the thing's back, which looked like cooling units. Anastasia then came up with a plan. "Siran, you take that power cable and get ready to charge. Arin, Lyle, Avedis, you distract the creature. Vint, you're with me. Trista, try and get up to the top of that ledge and slice a gash in the thing's back power unit. Once she does that, Siran, you fire a sustained lighting burst into the crevice. Vint, you and I will take out those cooling units on the back. Everyone ready?" The group nodded in reply. "Then let's go take down a demon!" The team then broke into 3 groups: Siran and Vint in one, Anastasia and Trista in another, and Lyle, Avedis, and Arin in the third. Lyle's group continued assaulting the Cyberdemon, making sure the massive beast ignored the other 2 groups, as they scaled the nearby ledges. Siran was the first to reach her destination: a live power cable that was feeding power from a nearby powerplant to the outer defenses of Kaven Base. The power cable wasn't a requirment, more of a backup source of power should the interior generators be taken down, but its presense here was advantageous to the group's plan. Anastasia and Trista, as well as Vint, eventually reached the top of their cliffs, and made their way to the Cyberdemon. Once there, Trista took her gunblade, and leapt from the cliff, toward's the Cyberdemon's back. Her Gunblade struck home, allowing her to use it, like before, to slow her descent, all the while carving a massive crevice in the creature's armor. The Cyberdemon turned around, and tried to reach for Trista...only to aim the gap in its armor at Siran, who responded with a massive blast of Lightning, crippling the beast. As its cooling units slid out, extended from the beast's back, Anastasia and Vint struck, Vint's Sword and Anastasia's Axe crushing both cooling units. The Cyberdemon roared in pain. Its back-mounted power unit was cracking and overheating. Soon, the Cyberdemon began to dissolve, defeated and being sent back to Hell. However, once it was gone, all that remained was the energy powering its cybernetics...which produced a massive blast, as Anastasia and Vint ran from the creature. The blast kicked up a lot of dirt, dust, and smoke, blocking any view of where the duo was. Lyle, Avedis, Arin, Siran, and Trista desparately tried to find any sign of Anastasia and Vint. Then, the wind picked up a little, blowing the obscuring debris away...revealing... ...Vint and Anastasia, still alive. Vint was standing up, and, upon seeing Anastasia, knelt to the ground, he rushed to her, only for her to stand up before he got there. The 2 then hugged each other, before returning to the group. It was just then they realized that the Cyberdemon's destruction had also defeated the rest of the horde, as Elle and Sean appeared. "Save any for me?" Sean asked. Anastasia replied, "Sorry, the others..." she pointed her thumb behind her, where the Cyberdemon was, "got vaped when that one blew..." "Shoot. So...how're you back?" Sean asked. Anastasia replied, "Long story short, Galiana's little gambit worked..." "Remind me to buy her a beer..." Sean replied. Anastasia commented, "I don't know if she even drinks..." Sean then came over and hugged her. "Either way, glad you're back," Sean commented. Anastasia hugged back. "Good to be back." "Now, go hug your mother and get yourself over there to Vint. God knows you should start now, before something else happens." Anastasia did so, and once the 2 separated, Anastasia looked back at the others, all of them smiling at her, Vint smiling widest of all. Chapter 10: Ascension The next couple days was a flurry of activity. The day after the attack, the Acadals and Anastasia received a notice from the Dalmascan Military. "Due to the actions of Anastasia Arina Renner, on the date of 9/24/2280 CED, it has been decided that she has been deemed worthy to reach the full rank of Dalmascan Judge Magister. The ceremony is to take place 9/26/2280 CED, on Dalmascan Starbase X-01, accessible through the Waystone at Anastasia Renner's residence. Any and all friends and family (direct, extended, or otherwise) of Anastasia Arina Renner are invited to attend." To make the letter seem genuinely official, it was signed by Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca herself, as well as Gabranth and Larsa. It was soon after that Vint and Anastasia took the message and showed it to the others, including Anastasia's parents. "Holy shit, I am proud of you, kiddo," Sean replied. Elle hugged her daughter and said, "Looks like things have come full circle: you used to be a major fan of the Judge Magisters..." "...And now you're one of them...what're the odds?" Vint joked. "I'm starting to see a recurring theme in this family..." Sean said. Vint looked confused. "Theme?" Sean answered, "Yeah, I was a big fan of force users, and for a time, I became one. My brother was a fan of vigilantes, and he was one before he was killed." "Brother?" Vint asked. He didn't know Sean had an brother. Before Sean could answer, though, Elle added, "My mother would probably be the ultimate example of that, from my side of the family." "Yeah, there's that too..." Sean replied. "Well, you know what this means: meet us at the Waystone tomorrow morning, so we can make it in time," Vint said. Anastasia added, "I'll be heading in early." "My god, its like she's graduating again," Sean joked. "You guys think you could call Sasha and tell her, maybe extend the invitation?" Anastasia asked. "Maybe call Ian and them too," Vint added, before Anastasia could. "Sasha's actually driving here as we speak. I phoned the day you woke up. Ian the day after, he'll be the only one from them, though." Anastasia responded, "Ok, cool...we should probably continue telling the others. Got Trista earlier, but the Vardans are proving difficult to locate." "Like that's new," Vint laughed. "Just scream loud enough and they'll come eventually." Anastasia shrugged, "Maybe...well, we better go find them. See you guys tomorrow?" "You know it," Sean replied. "See you then," Anastasia said, as she and Vint left. ---- The group had arrived at the Waystone in Anastasia's hidden armory: Vint, Arin, Siran, Avedis, Trista, Lyle, Maine, Elle, Sean, Sen, Sasha, and Ian. After an awkward silence for a few minutes, Arin and Vint simulatiously said, "Screw this," and both activated the Waystone, sending the 2 of them to the starbase. "They are DEFINITELY brother and sister," Siran said. "AND obsessed with Anastasia, for different reasons though..." Avedis added. Just then, Ian silently walked up to the Waystone, and, copying Arin and Vint, activated it. "Man, and people think I'M silent..." Avedis said, approaching the Waystone as well, Trista following. Sean put his arm around Elle's waist and pulled her with him to the Waystone. "Well, you ready?" Lyle asked Siran. Siran nodded, and they also approached the Waystone activating it with Sean and Elle. "Ok, Aaron is gonna kill me..." Sasha said, realizing how long the ceremony might take, as she approached the Waystone. "Last one out, hit the lights..." Maine said, before reactivating Anastasia's disguise holo, and going to the second point of the Waystone, transporting him and Sasha to the station as well. Once thy arrived there, they and the rest of the group were greeted by a Dalmascan official. "Good, you must be Anastasia's guests. This way." Ian scanned the room, looking for assassins. However, the Dalmascan Security presence was extensive...EXTREMELY extensive. As Ian still watched for something suspicious, the group was lead to the main room, and were seated. Soon, Queen Ashe, Gabranth, and Larsa stepped onto the stage at the head of the room. A few minutes later, A clanking was heard behind them, and Anastasia, clad in her Judge Armor, flanked by a pair of Dalmascan Sub-Judges appeared. Ian was visibly nervous, the handle of a machete visible in his sleave. One of the Sub-Judges seemed to notice, but before he could act, Anastasia just turned her head towards the Sub-Judge, shook it, and continued forward, both Sub-Judges following. Sean then gripped Ian's shoulder, calming him down. Finally, Anastasia reached the stage, where she passed her old blade to Gabranth. Gabranth then took the blade, and gave Anastasia another one, this one with a pitch-black blade. "Cortosis," Elle muttered. When no one understood what she meant, Elle explained, "One of the more powerful Lightsaber-proof metals: not only does it block the lightsaber, but also shut it down for a brief period of time." Ian looked interested about what Elle just said, but the others kept watching the ceremony. ---- The ceremony lasted another half hour, where Ashe declared Anastasia to be the newest Judge Magister of the Dalmascan Military. Her first assignment was to the Dalamscan 12 Strike Force, which, due to being docked at Kaven Base (with IceBite's permission, of course) meant that Anastasia wouldn't have to leave the base in order to fulfill her duties. "Congratulations, you're now the most famous member of the family," Sean said, walking up to Anastasia. "Why do you say that?" Anastasia asked. "Because you're already more famous than your grandma, me, your mom, no one else is gonna get to that level." Before Anastasia could say anything, a female Dalmascan soldier walked up to her. While she didn't completely recognize the soldier, Anastasia couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen this person before. "Hello there, ma'am, congratulations on the promotion, can you spare a moment?" "Uhm..." Anastasia looked back at Sean. "Have at, I'll be off somewhere," Sean responded, and he walked off. Anastasia then turned back to the soldier. "I guess...what is it?" After a few moments, Anastasia asked, "Have we met or something? You seem kind of familiar..." "I would think so, but I could see why you wouldn't recognize me: I was only 14 when we first met...remember the girl who the Pahlkes saved from Giarc?" That's when Anastasia recognized the soldier in front of her. "Melany Inarva? Damn, I haven't seen you in years! And a member of the Dalmascan military? Thought your adopted parents would never allow that after what happened those years ago." "Yeah, managed to talk some sense into them a few years back. Listen...I heard you were put in charge of the 12th Strike Force, and, recently, I've been promoted, so I can now choose where my next assignment will be. And, hearing you being in charge of the strike force, I was wondering-" "I'd be pleased to have you. Be good to see how much you've trained in the past decade." "Thank you, ma'am, I won't let you down." As Anastasia watched Melany depart, someone came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. When she spun around, she saw it was just Vint. "Wha-do you always have to do that?" Anastasia asked, being unable to help being slightly amused. "Yeah, I guess so. I heard that you weren't leaving..." "Yeah, got my money on IceBite having convinced Ashe to let the 12th Strike Force stay at Kaven Base...I mean, that guy has always been such a meddler..." Before Ian could respond, Sasha covered his mouth. She knew Ian had a LOT to say on IceBite, but now wasn't really the best time... "Yeah...he does seem that way..." Vint looked at Anastasia for a second before continuing. "You know...with all the stuff that's been going on...I'm just glad to have gotten to know you..." Sean turned to Elle and said, "Elle, I'll be getting drunk over there." Sasha, immediately knowing where this was going, just said aloud to Vint, "Cut to the chase, kid!" Vint tried to think of how to say what he wanted to, but, in the end, decided to go with the most straight forward, if not a little clichéd, way he could think of. "Ana...would you marry me?" "Say yes, you idiot!" Sasha exclaimed. Anastasia smiled and shook her head. "You know...you just interrupted me doing so..." "So, is that yes?" Vint asked. Anastasia's response was an excited nod, before rushing forward and embracing Vint. "And in case that wasn't enough to convey the message: Yes, I will marry you..." she added afterwards. "Dad, you're gonna need another one!" Sasha said. While Sean grabbed another drink, Ian was quietly sitting, happy for Anastasia. Some distance away, the group was being watched by Ashe, Larsa, and Gabranth. "Seems like she's come a long way," Ashe told the other 2. "Yeah, seems like only yesterday I met her on the Sidewinder...and now she's one of the most powerful individuals in the Dalmascan Military..." Larsa said. Gabranth looked at Anastasia, his pride in her success hidden by the helmet he wore, although the pride he felt could be heard in his voice. "As she always dreamed..." Chapter 11: Bond The Wedding between Anastasia Renner and Vint Acadal took place a week later. The people who came to the ceremony were mostly Anastasia's friends and family: Sean, Sasha (with Aaron), Ian, Norm, and Mark were there, as well as Elle, Sen, the Vardans, Arin, Trista, Maine, Lyle, and a few others. Even Gabranth and Larsa managed to schedule the time to attend, and Holly could be seen in the corner of the room, escorted by two of her newest sentient drones. When Vint and Anastasia were by themselves, Elle and Sean approached. "Hey, what's up?" Anastasia asked. "Just wanted to say congratulations. Did you think we wouldn't?" Sean replied. Anastasia answered, "Right...was just wondering..." "So, how do you feel?" Sean asked. Anastasia thought for a while. "You know...not really sure how to describe it..." "Sounds like how I felt when Sean and I got married..." Elle said. Sean then turned to Vint. "What about you kid?" Vint replied, "I don't know...feel great, about all I can tell..." "Don't, it all becomes horrible after the first month," Sean said jokingly. That was followed by Elle jabbing him lightly with her elbow. Vint just shrugged at Anastasia, who responded in kind. "In all seriousness, congratulations, and good luck." Sean glanced at Elle before saying, "You're gonna need it." At that, Elle jabbed again. After a while, Sean suggested, "You guys should talk to Holly. This is the first time she's left her house since...you know..." Anastasia nodded understandingly. "Yeah..." she said, before she and Vint departed. After they left, Elle said to Sean, "You know, this wedding is starting to bring back memories of our wedding..." "Which part?" Sean asked. "The wedding in general," Elle said, then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Remember when, while my mother was there, she accidently knocked over a stand?" Elle laughed a little, "I mean, how can someone so good with technology and engineering be such a clutz?" Sean replied, "Well, her daughter was getting married. I may or may not have accidentally destroyed the food table by tripping on it." "True...true..." Elle replied. "That, and Sasha is currently hitting on Avedis and all of Ana's guy friends." "Oh no..." Elle said, shaking her head, but unable to help but smile. "What was your favorite part of our wedding?" Sean asked. Elle responded, after some thought, "The result..." "I kinda liked what came AFTER the wedding, myself," Sean replied. "Yeah, that was good too..." Elle said, looking at Sean. She then turned back to her daughter and new son-in-law, as they talked to Holly. ---- Over the next week, the base began to adapt to the series of changes that've occurred, most of them relating to Anastasia. In a matter of months, she went from a shy trainee-judge to one of the most famous, well-renowned individuals in the Kingdom of Dalmasca (not to mention of anyone living on Kaven Base). Such a change in status hasn't been seen since the Panic War almost 3 centuries ago, when a young child mercenary named "IceBite" made his debut as one of the most powerful combatants in the Coalition at the time, and soon to be the most powerful political/military man in history. Anastasia, after a long day of inspecting her fleet, finally returned home, after spending some time with her family, she and Vint went to bed. As Anastasia fell asleep, she couldn't help but smile at how far she became. When she was young, she wanted to be a Judge Magister, wished to be powerful, dreamed to have the strength to protect that which she held dear... And through hard work, determination, and a little help from others...her dreams have finally come true... Category:Stories